A Second Chance
by cristlay
Summary: A month after the loss of his friends, Ponyboy is struggling with depression. One night, after watching the sunset, he sees a shooting star and makes a wish. Upon making a wish for his friends to have never died, a mysterious person appears offering him the chance to bring his friends back, which Ponyboy agrees to. But he's about to face the consequences of disrupting fate...
1. Shooting Star

**Hello my lovelies! Yes a new story! I haven't give up on 'Not Another Cinderella Story' I'll be updating that one shortly. But this one has been on my mind for a while and I just needed to put it out there...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Outsiders' sadly...**

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Nothing.

That's what I felt as I walked down the dimly lit streets. No fear of Socs, no coldness from the chilly air, no worry about my failing grades. Nothing. It had been over a month now since our gang had lost two vital members, and ever since then, I had this constant numbness in me. It was like when Johnny and Dally died... so did I. I felt awful thinking this, but I think I missed them more than I missed my parents.

The streets were animated like most Fridays, with groups of people laughing loudly and smoking cancer sticks. I had given up them after the funerals. They just didn't calm me like before. The teens seemed to be enjoying the start of their weekend, enjoying their lives. Something I hadn't done in awhile.

Ever since they died everything had changed- in good and bad ways. There weren't many good things, but among the list was the fact that Darry and I now saw eye to eye, the state had eased up a bit, and so had the Socs, who now only made remarks about greasers, but never approaching us. Whether it was because of the last rumble or the fear of what happened to Bob, I wasn't sure.

But with all those good things that came, so did bad ones. For starters, the lost of two friends. That was by far the worse. Then there was me failing, but I was to blame since I never paid attention at school any more. The gang had drifted apart, Darry and Soda worked more, I had been kicked off the track team, the list of negatives went on and on...

By now, I was in front of the house door. I sighed heavily, not knowing what to expect since I hardly saw Darry and Soda in the evenings. I unlocked the door and opened it slowly. We used to always leave it open, but Darry insisted that we should lock it now for 'safety purposes'. I grimaced when I stepped in and saw the deserted living room. A memory flashed in my head of the all the fun times the gang and I used to have here, now those were all gone.

I dropped my backpack and looked at the clock. It read six o'clock, which meant I had wandered around for two hours since school ended. This was a usual routine for me: Wake up, eat, go to school, leave school, wander, come home, eat, homework, and sleep. That's what I did every single day. You'd think I'd get bored of it, but I liked the consistency. It made me feel safe knowing nothing could take that away from me.

I went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. We needed to go grocery shopping, it held nothing more but some milk, eggs, day old chocolate cake, and some Pepsi. I grabbed a bottle of Pepsi and a slice of chocolate cake. My appetite had declined drastically in the last weeks, so within a few bites I was full. I threw away the rest and washed the plate and fork I had used. The kitchen was already clean, but to keep myself occupied I swept the floor and wiped down the counters.

Once I had finished, I took the rest of my Pepsi and drank it as I 'attempted' my homework. I hadn't paid any attention in class today so I just guessed. Darry now had extra hours and came home at ten, and by then, he was too tired to check my homework. Next week, a progress report would be sent home, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hide my grades any longer from him. I sighed and put away my homework, why was I even bothering?

It was only six thirty now and I had nothing else to do. I decided to go and shower, hoping it would kill some time. I absentmindedly walked into the bathroom, turned on the water, and got inside. The water was warm and relaxed me right away, taking my mind off of everything. Even after I was done showering, I stood under the water as it beat my back, leaving my skin red.

I finally shut off the water and got dressed, feeling clean and refreshed. It was now a little past seven and I debated watching some TV, but there probably wasn't anything interesting on. I was about to give up on my effort of having an 'interesting' Friday night, when something came to mind: The sky was slowly darkening.

"The sunset..." I muttered to myself. I hadn't watched one in weeks, maybe if I went out now it wouldn't be too late.

I quickly opened the door and looked up at the sky hopefully. The sun was still up. I sighed in relief and closed the door, sitting down. The sky was slowly shifting through night and day, holding my attention entirely. I never knew how much I actually missed them, but watching the sun disappear from the horizon, leaving a trail of orange and pink behind, made my heart ache in sadness.

When the stars dominated the sky I felt the numbness in me return. I groaned to myself, closing my eyes. When would I come to terms with Johnny and Dally's death? When would I heal? _Would_ I heal? I looked up at the stars for answers, I just didn't know what to do... Soda and Darry only saw me in the mornings and on their days off, which they usually spent running errands. They were too busy for me to discuss this with them, and Two-Bit and Steve were more distant. I had no one now, and I felt myself slowly unraveling. I wish Dally and Johnny had never died.

Just then, I saw a shooting star cross the sky heading towards the west side of the town. It had happened so fast, it was like a blaze had flashed across the sky. I sat up straighter and squinted, looking for it in the distance.

"Pretty isn't it?" A voice said.

I looked to my left and jumped up when I saw a girl sitting next to me. She looked up at me with glazed gray eyes and a small smile. She had platinum blonde hair that went down her back and pale skin, that looked like it lacked blood. She looked to be about twelve or so and was wearing a long, flowing white dress that was dirty around the bottom. She didn't appear to be a threat, but she had startled me.

"Wh-who are you?" I stuttered, edging away.

She smiled widely, "I'm Bonnie. I didn't mean to scare you, Ponyboy."

"How do you know my name? And why are smiling?"

'Bonnie' kept smiling, "Because you're funny."

I frowned at her, "How am I funny? Why are you here?" I didn't mean to sound mean, but it slipped out. But Bonnie didn't seem to mind, she just kept smiling that smile like she knew something I didn't.

"You ask so many questions. Let me make this quick: You're unhappy, right?"

I gave her a suspicious look, "Why do you want to know?"

"I don't _want_ to know. I already know. I'm here to help you."

"Help me? How?" I asked, sounding like a broken record.

Bonnie stood up, only reaching my shoulders, "The question isn't 'how'. It's _do_. As in, do you want my help?"

"With what? What could you help me with?"

She smirked, "Anything. _Everything_. Whatever you want. So make your wish. What would you want most in this world?"

I stared at her for a while and then burst out laughing, "What is this? Some joke?" I said bitterly, "You're only twelve, you couldn't possibly give me what I want."

I turned away and started turning the handle when she said, "Well o-kay-aye, I just thought you'd want to have your friends back. But like mother always said, never assume things."

I spun around and stared at her as she begun to walk away, "Wait... what did you say?" I whispered.

She turned around and shrugged, "Oh nothing. I just thought you looked like you really missed Johnny and Dally. But I guess I was wrong."

I looked at her shock before finally whispering, "Who are you?"

She gave me another smile, "Your second chance. Now do you want it?"

"You... you could bring them back?"

"Well," she said, "technically speaking, _I_ wouldn't be the one bringing them back. But to keep things simple, they'd be back."

"And everything would be back to normal?"

"Define 'normal'?" she said, making air quotations.

"Everything would go back to the way it used to be, before that night with the Socs." I explained. For some reason, I actually believed Bonnie, even though bringing them back to life would be impossible.

"Sort of, all the things leading up to the Windrixville incident would have never happened, so no Bob, no fire, and no funerals. But, you have to keep your grades, the current month and date and-"

"That's all?" I asked eagerly, "They'll come back to life and all that will stay the same are my grades and what day it is?"

"Well yes, that and-"

"I agree." I said, walking closer to Bonnie.

"You do?" she said, a little surprised, "Hmm, I expected a fight out of you. But don't you want to hear about the-"

"No," I interrupted, "if you can make them alive again, I don't care about anything else. Just do it, please." I said, remembering my manners at the end.

I didn't know what I was thinking, and I doubted it would actually work, but I couldn't take it anymore. Besides, for all I knew this could all be a dream. Either that, or I was going insane.

Bonnie sighed, "O-kay-aye, but don't say I didn't try to warn you! By the way. I'm eleven, not twelve." she said.

Bonnie closed her eyes and started whispering something incomprehensible. I stared at her and hoped Soda would come home already and wake me up if this was a dream. I would hate to have to sleep dreaming about Johnny and Dally being alive only to wake up to them dead. But Soda wouldn't be home until nine, so that was unlikely,

All of a sudden, I felt exhausted, which was strange for a dream. But this exhaustion was different, I felt weak, sick, dizzy, even a little achy. I collapsed on my knees as Bonnie kept mumbling with her eyes closed. The pain I was feeling was unbearable. It hurt so badly, I couldn't even cry out for help. My body felt like it was being stabbed and my flesh was being burned off. I gasped as I convulsed on the ground, my vision turning hazy.

The last thing I remember seeing is Bonnies' eyes popping open and her shaking her head, whispering, "They never do learn, now do they?"

And everything went pitch black.

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**I made this chapter very short just as a 'teaser' in a way, so I could see your reaction. Hopefully people like it! Sorry if I made Ponyboy too depressed, I tried to imagine losing two friends... I wouldn't be skipping a month later, that's for sure. Don't forget to review!**


	2. Resurrected

**Hello my lovelies! Thank you all for the reviews, please enjoy:)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Outsiders' sadly...**

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"Pony? Ponyboy, wake up." someone said, gently shaking me.

I groaned and opened my eyes slowly, seeing a worried Sodapop staring down at me. I looked around in confusion; where was I?

"Ponyboy, what happened?" Soda asked, helping me sit up.

"I.. I don't know."I whispered. What had happened? Where was I? It took me a moment to realize I was outside, sitting on our porch. The temperature had dropped since I had come out and now I was shivering.

"What were you doing out here? I hope you weren't waiting up for me. I told you I'd be out with Sandy tonight." Sodapop said, helping me up.

I stared at Sodapop in confusion; Sandy? But... how? She had left for Florida weeks ago! Maybe I heard wrong... I yawned and looked at Sodapop,

"I fell asleep while watching the sun- Bonnie!" I gasped, everything coming back. I remembered watching the sunset and seeing a shooting star, then a little blonde girl came out of thin air. She had said all these weird things about bringing Johnny and Dally back to life, when I knew it was impossible. But from the looks of it, I was right, Johnny and Dally were still dead and Bonnie was all a dream.

"Bonnie? Ponyboy, what are you talking about? Maybe I should call Darry-"

"No!" I exclaimed, "I'm just tired. That's all. I'm going to bed." I abruptly stood up as Soda looked at me with a concerned gaze- one I hadn't seen in awhile. Come to think of it, Soda hadn't shown this much concern from me since the week after the funeral. He was always so busy and tired nowadays, so it was strange to have him so worried.

"Okay... but did you have something to eat-"

I didn't give him a chance to finish before opening the door and going back inside the house. This night had been the strangest night since the funerals. But I had to admit, it was nice having Soda worry about me again. I missed him and Darry, but they worked so much now, our time together was limited.

Before going to bed, I went into the kitchen to get a drink of water since my throat was parched from being outside. I filled up a glass of icy cold water from the tap and chugged it down in seconds. I was still thirsty so I filled up another glass, but right before I did, I actually paid attention to the sink this time. There was nothing special about it, but something was different, something was wrong.

The sink was filled with dishes.

My eyes widened in confusion; I had cleaned _everything_ before showering. I remembered clearly. And Soda had just gotten home, so he hadn't gotten a chance to eat yet. So how were there plates in the sink? I shook my head in bewilderment, something strange was going on. I heard the front door open and decided I better get to sleep before Soda could question me anymore.

Once I was safely in my room, I slipped under the covers and tried to forget about the days' events. Even though it was just a dream, it felt so realistic, and for the first time since the rumble, I was happy. This whole evening with the sunset and the shooting star- even Imaginary Bonnie- had been amazing. I hated that it would end, and tomorrow everything would go back to normal.

I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes, praying for a dreamless night. I wouldn't want any more disappointments tonight. Within a few minutes, my breathing became regular and I was drifting off to sleep.

/-/-/-/

I woke up abruptly, sitting up in the bed so fast, my head started spinning. The TV was blaring from outside my room, echoing through the door. I looked beside me and found the other side of the bed deserted. I groaned as I flopped back on my pillow. Soda was probably already at work and Darry leaves at the same time as him, so who could possibly be watching TV so loud? Two-Bit sometimes came on the weekends, but since Johnny and Dally died, he got drunk more and more often, so I doubted it was him. I considered it being Steve, but I knew for a fact that he worked on weekends alongside Soda, so he was out of question. I wanted to stay in my bed forever, but the loud TV was getting on my nerves, so I suppressed another groan and got up.

When I opened the door, the TV was twice as loud, which gave me an instant headache. I walked into the living room, prepared to tell Two-Bit to shut off all that racket. Loud noises had all but disappeared since the funerals, and I didn't really appreciate the rude awakening.

"Two-Bit! Would it kill you to keep it down?" I grumbled, crossing my arms across my chest.

"What? Did I wake baby up from his nap?" A teasing voice said.

I was prepared to come up with a sarcastic remark, but instead, I stiffened. I _knew_ that tone. It was the same exact tone Dallas Winston would use when he was picking up girls. The tone that he had used on Cherry that night everything changed. Unless Two-Bit had suddenly become an impressionist and could mimic Dallys' voice, it had to be him.

I hesitantly moved closer to the couch where a figure was lounging comfortably on while watching the TV. I was afraid of who it might be; part of me hoped it was Dally, but another part just wanted it to be Two-Bit who just happened to sound like him. When the person came in sight, I didn't even have to look at the face to know who it was. All I had to do was look at the leather jacket.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Dally?" I whispered.

Dally looked at me with his ice blue eyes and an annoyed look, "What d'you want?"

Yeah, that was Dally alright. I looked at him from head to toe for any signs of gunshot wounds or a broken arm. There wasn't a scratch on him, not a single trace of him ever being shot. He had his ever-present dark look in his eyes and an irritated expression. He was perfectly fine.

I felt the blood drain from my face and my breathing hitch up. My head was spinning and I felt like I was about to pass out. I started to stumble back in dizziness and forced myself to not black out. I stopped walking backwards when I hit something.

"Oh, sorry Ponyboy," a voice said. I spun around, searching for the source of the familiar voice. When I saw the face of the figure behind me, my heart froze and dropped. Just like it did whenever I realized I forgot something important, only this time, my hands were shaking in fear.

"Ponyboy? Are you alright...?" Johnny asked, stepping closer. His presence filled the air around us, it was almost tangible.

"No..." I whispered, mainly to myself, "No, you're not real. This is just- just a dream!". Johnny gave me a confused look, and seeing his puppy-like eyes again sent chills down my spine. The last time I had seen them was when Johnny had taken his last breath, and ever since then, things had changed...

"What's wrong with the kid?" Dally asked in an uninterested tone.

I started to move away from Johnny as he looked at me with that worried expression- the same exact one that Sodapop had given me when he found me on the porch. At this point, I didn't care if everyone thought I was crazy, Johnny and Dally were _dead _yesterday, how can they be here today? There was only one logical explanation: this was all a dream. It made perfect sense; because I had dreamed of Bonnie who had given me hope about them coming back to life, my subconscious had formed them in my sleep.

I laughed nervously, "Ooh, I see. This is all just a dream. Well, I'm going to wake up now." My voice was shaky and sounded small, almost like a little kid.

"What's he rambling about?" Dally snapped, his voice sounding almost too real.

"Pony, maybe you should sit-"

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" I chanted to myself, shutting my eyes close and zoning out Johnny. I hated seeing him because I knew once I woke up, he'd be gone again. I didn't want to talk to him, let alone _see _ him. I just wanted to wake up and forget this ever happened.

"Dally, look at him- he's shaking." Johnny said in a panicked voice. I opened my eyes, seeing Johnny and Dally standing in front of me and looking puzzled, Dally even had a hint of worry in his eyes which quickly dissolved.

My legs felt like mush and I sank to the floor, realizing how hard I was actually shaking. I was shaking so hard, my vision couldn't focus. I tried pinching myself and slapping my face to wake up, but each time I looked up, their faces were staring at me. I shut my eyes hard and tried to wake up, but my mind was so confused from seeing them, it had shut down.

When I opened my eyes back open, I only saw Dally kneeling over me. The front door was open, so I figured Johnny had left. But something was starting to sink in:

They're alive.

My vision became hazy as I found myself lying on the floor. Right before the darkness engulfed me for the second time in the last twelve hours, I heard Dally say,

"Glory kid, what's wrong with you?"

/-/-/-/

I opened my eyelids slowly to the ceiling of my room. I knew right away it was my room because of the small crack running up it. I lay on my pillow in a daze, trying to make sense of what just happened. It _had_ to be a dream... right? I must've of never left bed this morning and probably imagined it all. Probably.

"Wakey, wakey, Sleeping Beauty!" A loud voice said. It hurt my ears a bit and I groggily sat up, astonished to see who was sitting at the foot of my bed.

"_Bonnie_?" I gasped, seeing the little girl smiling her never ending smile.

"You remembered! You sure sleep a lot, I hope you don't do that every day or else we won't have time to-"

"What is this?" I hissed. I was surprised at how menacing my voice got. I would never speak to anyone like that- let alone a _girl_.

Bonnie didn't seem to mind. She smiled wider, "This is a bed."

I swear I wanted to throw my pillow at her.

"No, not the bed." I said slowly, "What's 'this', as in who are you and why did you put be in this dream... this _nightmare_?"

She scratched her blonde hair and gave me a confused look, "But this isn't a dream."

I snorted, "Bonnie, they were dead-"

"And now they're not." Bonnie concluded.

"That's impossible, people can't just die and when they get bored wake up and start living again!" I exclaimed.

"Have _you_ ever been dead?" she asked.

"No,"

"Then you don't know if they can't or can wake up."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. From the way Bonnie was talking, it seemed like she was trying to get me to believe that what I had seen was real. But I rather go insane than believe Johnny and Dally were alive. It wasn't possible. My eyes drifted to Bonnie's, who was smiling at me in excitement. That's when I realized something. If I hadn't dreamed that whole evening with Bonnie... that made her-

"Real..." I gasped my eyes widening. Bonnie _looked_ real, and if she hadn't been lying about what she said last night, Johnny and Dally may as well be alive too. I didn't want to believe any of this, I was perfectly fine with thinking Bonnie was just some strange kid who had wandered on our porch. But everything was beginning to come clear.

She smiled at me with her gray eyes, "Starting to believe me, huh?"

A chill went down my spine. I couldn't speak or breath; it was just like this morning when I had seen Dally. I didn't want it to be true, but at the same time I did.

"Bonnie," I whispered, "Tell me this is just a dream." I knew the answer by now, but my mind couldn't wrap around the fact that they might be alive.

She shook her head, "No dream, just our agreement."

"Agreement?" I mimicked, stupidly.

She opened her mouth to say something, but she froze and her face went blank. She stared at me with unfocused eyes and then blinked several times, "Someone's here to see you. We'll have to finish our conversation later." she said, as she hopped off the bed and headed out the door.

"Wait," I called, "where will I find you?"

Bonnie smirked, "Don't worry, I'll find you." That was the last thing she said before disappearing through the door. She was wearing the same dirty dress from the night before.

I sat on the bed, trying to keep myself from losing my mind. I found if I didn't think much of it, I could actually relax. Everything felt surreal, and I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to wake up. Within a few seconds after Bonnie left, I heard loud footsteps running down the hall. I sat up straighter to get a better view of the door and to see who it was.

"Ponyboy!" the person panted, opening the door in one swift movement.

I looked up at Soda who was wearing his DX shirt and his hair messy from his run. He was breathing hard, but I could see the fear in his eyes. He came over to me and sat down on the bed, trying to catch his breath, "Pony, you alright?"

"Yeah... I think so." At this point, I didn't know what was 'right'.

Soda sighed, "Thank God. What happened to you, Pony? Johnny came running into the DX tellin' a tale that you were acting weird and just collapsed."

I didn't say anything. If I told Soda that Dally and Johnny were supposed to be dead, he'd think I was crazy. But if I didn't, I'd go crazy. I averted my eyes from Sodas' and muttered, "I was just tired, that's all."

Soda didn't buy it; "Maybe I should call Darry and we can take you to be checked out by a doc-"

"No!" I exclaimed, as Soda gave me a suspicious look.

"Ponyboy, is there something you're not-"

"No," I interrupted again, "I just don't like doctors. Trust me, I'm just tired. I must've caught something from falling asleep outside yesterday. I promise, if I'm not feeling well by this afternoon, you can take me to see a doctor. Besides, I don't want Darry to worry over nothing."

I was surprised at how convincing I sounded. Soda frowned at me in disapproval before sighing. I knew I had won.

"Okay, but I'll tell Nancy to keep an eye on you, and if she says you seem off again, we're taking you to the hospital." Even though his voice was firm, I could tell his eyes were debating whether or not to take me.

"Nancy?" I asked in confusion.

"Yeah, Nancy... you didn't hit your head when you fell down, did you?" Soda didn't say it in a joking or mean way, it was a serious question.

I had no idea who he was talking about, but to avoid any more interrogating, I lied and said, "No, I just didn't hear you right."

Soda bought it and stood up, "Well I have to get back to work, I'll tell Nancy to check up on you. Promise me you'll tell her if you don't feel good?"

"I promise," I said, "but before you go... Are Dally and Johnny.. _here_?" The sentence held a double meaning, but I just needed one answer.

"Dally left after he brought you into the room, I'm not sure if Johnny's still here though." Soda answered. The blood drained from my face. Before I could ask any other questions, someone spoke from the doorway.

"Oh, he's awake, thank goodness!" said a sweet voice full of relief.

I looked at the door and saw a slender figure standing, wringing her hands in worry. She had brown hair tied in a braid down her back and a heart shaped head. Her eyes were warm brown and she was wearing a plain dress. Even though her overall look was simple, she was still pretty.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" she said softly, coming towards the bed. She knelt down by me and ran her thin hands on my face, "You feel warm..."

"Nancy, do you mind watching him today?" Soda asked.

Nancy nodded her head eagerly, "Of course! But try not to tell Darry, I wouldn't want him to get panicked... Oh, Ponyboy, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling good? I'm sorry Soda, it's really my fault, I should've watched him."

I felt guilty at how apologetic she was, but I still didn't know why she was here. All I knew was that her name is Nancy, she looked older than Soda, and seemed familiar with all of us. Was she a cousin I had never heard about?

"You worry too much Nancy, it wasn't your fault." Soda said smiling at her, "But you feel better Ponyboy, I'll be home by six."

I said a small goodbye to him as he left. Nancy smiled at him and told him that by the end of the day, I'd be 'as fit as a button'. When he was gone, I was left in the room with Nancy who still had that apologetic face on.

"I didn't mean to scare you Nancy," I said, hoping to relax her a bit. Not to mention, I wanted to know who she was.

The moment those words came out of my mouth, Nancy's face stiffened and her whole expression morphed from caring and sweet to absolute hatred. The abhorrence was so great on her face, I cringed on the bed. Nancy slammed the door shut with her foot and slowly walked towards me. With each step she took, I felt my heartbeat increase, I had never seen a face that could hold so much hate as hers.

When she was face to face with me she said, "You think I don't know what you're doing? You're trying to ruin things between Darry and me, well let me tell you something kid- you will _never_ win."

I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't. Nancy's tone was so deadly, I wanted to go and hide. How could someone who looked so kind a few seconds ago change so dramatically?

"I wasn't trying to do that." I gulped.

Nancy rolled her cold, brown eyes, "You didn't do the dishes last night, you faint this morning, you don't think I can't see? You want Darry to think I can't take care of the house or _you_. But it won't work, you little _brat_. Now go do your chores!"

I stared at her with wide eyes, understanding who she was. I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded. Nancy gave me one more dark look, spun on her heels , and walked out of the room. I felt dizzy again and prayed this was all just a dream. Everything felt real, but I wasn't entirely sure.

"Bonnie..."I whispered to myself.

"Yes?" a voice said. I turned around and saw Bonnie sticking her head through the door, giving me a sheepish smile. I gave her a look that she understood, "That's Nancy... Darrys' girlfriend. They've been dating for a several weeks now. She moved in last week because they're fixing her roof. Let's just say you two aren't on the best terms." she continued.

"Really?" I said sarcastically, "I thought any second now she'd ask me to go bake a cake with her. How did this happen? Darry never told us of any girl."

Bonnie smirked, "That's because Johnny and Dally were dead. Since they're alive, Darry never had to deal with the stress of the whole Windrixville incident. Without that, he never missed work, so he met Nancy while working. Do you believe they're alive now?"

"No," I answered bluntly, "and I don't believe Darry would ever date anyone so mean like her."

"You don't get it, do you? She doesn't act that way with Darry."

"That's it. I'm telling Darry right now-"

"No you won't." Bonnie answered, "Just wait until tomorrow, and you'll understand why you won't tell. Well I go to get going-"

"Wait, we didn't finish talking!" I said, as she disappeared from the door. I ripped the covers off me and jumped out of bed, following her out the door. But by the time I was in the middle of the hallway, she was nowhere in sight.

I stared at the emptiness of the hallway and leaned against the wall for support.

"This can't be real..." I whispered. But for the first time since I had woken up, my mind had actually begun believing that they were alive.

"Ponyboy!" Nancy shouted from the kitchen. I groaned, really wishing this was a dream now.

/-/-/-/

"Stupid Bonnie, leaving me alone with her." I grumbled as I scrubbed the last plate. It was past two now, and I had spent the morning and some of the afternoon cleaning the house. Nancy had made sure I had a list of things to do, and insisted if I was really 'sick', some good old housework would clear up anything I had. She checked up on me every half hour, and if she wasn't pleased, she would make me start all over again. I didn't hate Nancy, but from the way things were headed now, I wouldn't be surprised if I did by the end of the week.

I was starting to come around to believing that Johnny and Dally _weren't_ _dead_. But I couldn't imagine them as _alive_. They had died, but now they weren't... so what were they? Ghost? I shook my head in disbelief, this sort of thing just didn't happen. If they did, why weren't my parents up and walking?

"Ponyboy? You're up?" someone said. I knew at once it wasn't Nancy, she wouldn't sound this surprised considering she was the one making me work.

"Oh, hi _Johnny_. I just wanted to move around." I lied, analyzing Johnny. He looked the same, except his black hair had grown longer, but other than that he was the same. He wasn't on crutches or in a wheelchair... he was just _Johnny_. I didn't know how to explain it.

"If you want, we could go to the lot and play football." Johnny suggested. Something about playing football with Johnny again stirred something in me. I had wished dozens of times for another chance with the friends I had lost, and here it was. Instead of denying its plausibility, I should be taking advantage of my second chance. Who knows, this could all be a dream and I'd wake up any second now.

"Yeah, that sounds fun." I said, a smile spreading on my face as I dropped the plate in my hand back into the sink.

"I'll go get the football, but you're not feeling sick or anything? Because if you are... we could do something here."

"No, I'm fine, we should leave now, I wouldn't want Nancy to worry." I lied. I could care less if Nancy worried, first thing tonight I'm telling Darry about who she really is.

Johnny nodded in agreement, "She does get worked up easily."

It felt so strange having a conversation with Johnny again, but I was starting to hope more and more that this was real. I didn't care if I had to put up with Nancy, she was just bossy, I'd survive. Things were starting to look up, and I was ready to accept things. Nothing could make me regret this.

Yet.

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**Hope you enjoyed, thought this was a nice place to stop. Wanted to emphasis Ponyboy's shock in this chappie! Review if you can:)**


	3. Bitter Truths

**Hello my lovelies! Thank you all for the reviews, please enjoy:) Sorry for any mistakes I missed**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Outsiders' sadly...**

* * *

"Ponyboy, look out!" Johnny called to me from across the field, taking me out of my trance. I looked up at the brilliant sunlight and saw a football heading straight at me. I quickly lifted my hands to catch it, but I wasn't fast enough and it flew past me, landing on the floor with a loud thud.

I sighed as I watched it roll a few feet away from me. I had been excited at first to play football with Johnny, but it seemed like every five minutes, my mind would begin to wander and lose interest. I'd find myself asking questions of how could Johnny possibly be alive. We had played for half an hour now, and I had only caught the ball half a dozen times.

"Ponyboy, if you want we could go back to your place-"

"No," I said interrupting him, "I'm fine, I just haven't played in a while, that's all."

That wasn't a complete lie; I really_ hadn't_ played since they... died. No one had the time anymore and it wasn't like I wanted to play in the first place. I was just glad to be out of the house and away from Nancy.

"Well, if you want we could go to the drive in. I think a new movie's playing tonight." Johnny replied.

I looked up at the sky; from the suns position it looked to be almost six, so the next movie would be showing soon. If we left now, we could make it in time and still get good seats.

"Okay, let me get the ball first." I said, jogging towards it. The ball wasn't far, and I kind of wished it was. The short jog was refreshing and reminded me of being on the track team again. Bonnie had said almost everything would remain the same, but who knew, without Johnny and Dally ever dying, maybe I was still on the team. Maybe.

I was leaning over to pick up the ball when I heard someone shout, "Hey greaser!"

At first, I thought it was aimed at me so I stiffened, the hair on the back of my neck standing up. It had been awhile since anyone had called me 'greaser' directly. I knew I was still categorized as a greaser, but the Socs had laid off since the rumble, taking extra precaution to avoid me especially.

But when I looked up, I saw two Socs driving down the road in their mustang, spitting insults at another greaser. He looked older and a lot tougher than me, but he didn't seem to mind and kept walking down the street. The Socs didn't like that and continued the verbal abuse, adding swear words now and even throwing something at the greaser.

"Some people have no manners." someone said in a disapproving tone. The voice made me jump, my fingers gripping the football tightly. I looked next to me and relaxed when I saw it was only Bonnie, chewing a strand of her blonde hair.

"How do you keep doing that?" I asked, trying to hide the fear from my voice. I didn't want Bonnie to know she had scared me.

"Doing what? Oh, and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." she responded.

Maybe she can read minds.

"Appearing out of thin air. Did you follow us and hide in a bush?"

Bonnie shook her head, "I didn't appear out of thin air and I didn't follow you. Also, I can't read minds." she said, flashing me one of her 'Bonnie-Smiles'.

I decided not to ask her anymore questions about how she 'appears' because she probably wouldn't even give me a solid answer, "Then why are you here?"

Bonnie stopped chewing her hair, "Because you're going to ask me a question in a few seconds."

I was about to tell her she was wrong, when shouting from the mustang brought my attention back on the Socs and their victim. The Socs shouted something at him and laughed, driving off.

"I haven't seen them this persistent in a while. Usually they call us a few names and drive off to avoid any more trouble." I said, mainly to myself.

"Well, that's technically not a question, but I guess that will have to do." Bonnie shrugged.

I looked back at her glazed eyes, "What are you talking about?"

Bonnie smirked, "Don't you want to know why the Socs seem to be going back to their old ways?" I didn't answer and she took it as a cue to answer, "In case you've forgotten, the 'rumble' never happened because Johnny never stabbed the Soc. So it's as if things never changed! You may not believe me about your friends being alive, but believe me when I say that if you walk alone at night, you might not return in one piece."

"Bonnie," I said slowly, trying to suppress my irritation, "is there anything else you forgot to tell me?"

It seemed like whenever Bonnie showed up, she only wanted to tell me important things at the wrong time. I was starting to wonder if I'd be able to handle not only Nancy, but the Socs too. Bonnie opened her mouth to speak when someone spoke before her.

"Pony, you alright?" Johnny asked.

I spun around with the ball still in hand, "Yeah, I was just getting the football and those Socs..."

Johnny nodded understandingly, "I know, they've just gotten worse. There has to be a place where they don't exist."

That sentence reminded me of what he had said the days prior to his death. It gave me the chills and made me wonder if that was a sign that history would repeat itself. I was tempted to ask Bonnie about my theory, but when I looked next to me, surprisingly no one was there.

Johnny must've noticed my shock because he asked me, "What's the matter?"

I was starting to get paranoid that Bonnie was just a hallucination. She only seemed to appear when I had a question and disappeared all the other times. But then again, she could be hiding in a bush.

"Nothing," I answered, "we should head to the drive in before the next movie starts."

Johnny gave me a worried look, but didn't press for answers.

/-/-/-/

I remember always enjoying going to the theater alone. I always felt like no one understood or appreciated movies like I did. But being at the drive-in with Johnny made me ask myself why I hadn't asked him to come with me more often. As we watched the movie, we both easily guessed what would happen next and laughed at all the parts that made no sense. It was a cliché mystery movie which eased my fears or history repeating itself. If it had been a beach movie like last time, I would've begun worrying that any minute now two Socs girls would appear.

While the movie played, I finally found out what had happened after I had fainted. According to Johnny, the moment I fell to the floor he ran to the DX to get help. Since Soda and Steve were the only ones there, Steve had to stay to make sure no one stole anything. Johnny was going to follow Soda back to the house when Dally came and told Johnny he better stay and let Soda check up on me first. I was surprised to find out Dally had been the one to carry me to my room. If I remembered clearly, Dally and I had never been as close like he was with Johnny.

After Soda had returned and told Johnny and Dally I was fine, Johnny waited a few hours before checking in on me (rescuing me from Nancy's wrath). Johnny did ask me again if I was feeling well, and I assured him I was. I couldn't exactly tell him it was the shock that had gotten me.

Johnny stood up when the movie ended. The next one was going to begin soon, "I'm going to go get a Coke, do you want anything?" he asked.

I reached into my pocket for some money, when I realized I hadn't brought any. Darry and Soda used to give me a weekly allowance, but recently, I hadn't asked for any money. Johnny seemed to understand,

"Don't worry, this one's on me." he said, smiling as he walked toward the concession stand.

I watched him leave, and found myself wondering again if this was all a dream. Johnny and Dally were back to life and things were back to the way they used to be. How was that even possible? Maybe I had dreamed the whole Windrixville incident and this was reality. With all the questions racing in my mind, I could imagine this would be a perfect time for Bonnie to 'magically appear' and enlighten me with something I needed to know five minutes ago.

But Bonnie didn't appear and Johnny returned with two Cokes. The next movie started and we watched it as we drank the Cokes. It was just like old times, and I hoped if this was all just a dream, no one would wake me up.

/-/-/-/

"You sure you don't have to head home?" Johnny asked as we stared up at the stars. We had watched three out of the four movies showing tonight before getting bored and heading to the abandoned lot. I had to admit, everything we were doing was an exact replica of that night...

Only this time, I wouldn't fall asleep. I had checked the time before we left the theater and it was only ten thirty. My curfew on weekends was twelve, so there was no way I'd get home late.

"No, besides, I'm only staying for a few minutes." I replied. Johnny nodded, and stared silently at the stars. He seemed to be peaceful and admiring the sky. I wondered if he remembered anything from the fire or that night at the fountain. Maybe while he was in heaven he saw my parents... I wonder if they're alright.

"Johnny," I whispered, "have you ever thought about how you want to die?"

It was a strange question, but maybe he had. Johnny looked at me curiously and said, "No, why?"

I looked away from him and back at the sky, "No reason."

Johnny and I stared at the stars again for a few more minutes, not speaking to each other. I was careful to keep track of time because I didn't want Darry to get mad at me like last time. When I felt it was nearing eleven, I stood up and stretched.

"I think I should be getting home Johnny, are you gonna go home?"

Johnny shook his head, "I think I'll stay here for a little longer."

I nodded, recalling Johnny's home life, "Well if you want you can always come to our place."

"Okay, but if you see Dally can you tell him I need to ask him something?" Johnny said. It wasn't strange for Johnny to want to talk to Dally, but for some reason, a feeling of suspicion went through me.

"Sure, I'll tell him." I said, as I headed towards the house.

It was a short walk to my house, but as I walked through the dimly lit streets, I wondered about Darry. I hadn't seen him since Dally and Johnny came back to life, so who knew if something changed about him. Maybe grew out his hair or got a beard. I started laughing at the thought of my eldest brother with a beard, but stopped abruptly. My own laughter had scared me, it had been a while since I laughed so freely...

As I bounded up the stairs of our house, I was surprised to see Darry pacing from the window. It couldn't be past eleven, right? No, I had kept track of time this time, I had nothing to worry about. I slowly opened the front door and peeked my head inside, reassuring myself I hadn't done anything wrong. Plus, Darry and I were on better terms now.

"Where have you been!?" Darry exclaimed when I shut the door.

I hadn't heard him yell at me in a while and winced, "I was out with Johnny." I noticed Nancy behind him, tears shamelessly streaming down her cheeks,_ oh for goodness sakes,_ I thought bitterly.

"Ponyboy, don't you ever use your head?" Darry asked, taking a stride closer to me.

I frowned, "I don't know what I did wrong. I came before my curfew and I wasn't wandering around-"

"That's not the point Ponyboy! After you passed out you should've stayed inside or at least have told Nancy where you were going. She was searching all across town for you, do you know how much trouble you've caused her?" Darry lashed. I looked at Nancy as she wiped away her tears. She may have been crying, but I saw no remorse in her eyes.

I was prepared to defend myself when a figure appeared behind Darry.

Bonnie.

Of course she chose this time to appear. She didn't say anything though, all she did was firmly press her pointer finger on her lips and gave me a look that clearly said _'don't-you-dare-talk-back'_. I realized that what Bonnie was doing was saving me from repeating what happened that night Bob was killed. It took all my strength, but I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, "I didn't mean to make Nancy worry, I just needed some air. I won' t do it again." Now just because I said it, didn't mean I meant it.

Darry seemed to ease up at my apology, but got ready to lecture me some more. Surprisingly, Nancy chose this time to intervene, "Darrel, it's fine. When I didn't see him, I was just scared he'd pass out somewhere and no one would find him. But he's alright now and that's all that matters. "

Her tone was soothing and it got Darry to relax completely. Nancy squeezed his hand gently as a final act of reassurance that I was fine. When she was positive Darry wouldn't be yelling anymore, Nancy came in front of me and stroked my hair,

"Ponyboy, are you hungry? I made dinner, sweetie. I can bring it out here if you're too tired to walk, it will be no trouble at all." once again, her voice was soft and sweet. Her brown eyes were so full of genuine concern, I almost forgot she was evil.

"No, I'm just gonna go to bed." I answered, averting my eyes from her warm gaze. No wonder everyone liked her, she was great at playing the nurturing card.

"Wait Ponyboy," Darry said, "you're not off the hook. You're grounded until next Monday."

My eyes widened in shock; I wanted to object, but something told me Bonnie would stop me before I could. So I accepted my punishment with a slow nod.

"Darry you should get to bed too," Nancy said, placing a kiss on his cheek and giving him a loving gaze. Darry looked down at her with a look I had never seen him give another person in the world. I never knew my brother could look at someone so gentle with those ice blue eyes.

Darry turned around and started walking down the hallways, leaving me alone with Nancy. Part of me wanted to thank her for saving me from Darry, but the more sensible part of me told me to run before she went back to her old ways. Before I could escape, Nancy turned to me and gave me a long glare full of so much hatred, I cringed.

"Last chance, kid." she hissed, "Last. Chance. Mess with me one more time..." she didn't even dare finish her threat, her stare was enough to warn me. She quickly turned away, her braid swaying as she stormed off. I took a deep breath and made a mental note to avoid Nancy at all costs.

I slowly trudged into my room, wondering where Soda had been throughout that whole ordeal. He was always there, defending me no matter what. Once inside the room, I flipped the lights on, surprised at who was inside. Soda wasn't in the bed, but someone else was.

"You set me up!" I snapped as I slammed the door shut.

Bonnie gave me an 'innocent' look."What do you mean, Ponyboy? I would never set you up, we are friends, after all."

"We are _not _friends. You knew if I went out with Johnny, Darry would get mad at me. But yet, you didn't stop me! I don't even know why you're here if you don't even help me!"

I admit, I was overreacting over a small situation, but Darry and I had actually made amends. Now things were going back to where they started and I didn't want to go through the stage of hating Darry all over again. Just when Darry and I had started seeing eye to eye, this had to ruin it.

Bonnie smiled at me, "But Ponyboy, it's not my fault. Even if you hadn't gone out tonight, you and Darry would've gotten into a fight eventually. Without Dally and Johnny dying, you and Darry never reached midway. You still think all he does is yell at you and he thinks you never use your head. If I had waited for you to find out at a later period, you would've been really mad at me. So I decided the sooner the better."

I suddenly felt embarrassed about my outburst. I was getting mad at an _eleven_ year old. Bonnie might get on my nerves, but I shouldn't yell at her, "I'm sorry Bonnie... I just don't want things to go back the way they were between Darry and me."

She nodded in agreement, "No hard feelings! You have a such a loving relationship with your brothers."

"Thank you?" I said, "But talking about brothers, where's Soda? His shift should've ended two hours ago."

Bonnie gave me a Bonnie-Smile, "Sorry, but I can't tell you, I hope you understand."

"I don't. Never mind, I'm going to bed." I said, not wanting to deal with getting the answer out of her. She would never tell me.

"But you'll find out tomorrow!" she said quickly, "I haven't been very fair... Here, I'll tell you something I shouldn't, okay? But you have to promise me something."

I looked at her curiously, "Promise you something? What?"

She played with her fingers, "That... that you'll never hate me."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why would I hate you? You might annoy me, but I don't think you're worth hating, you're pretty nice- when you help me."

Bonnie smiled, "Thank you... but could you just promise me that? That you'll never hate me, now or in the future."

I shrugged, "Sure, I promise."

She sighed in relief, grabbing a strand of her hair and chewing it anxiously, "Tomorrow. Four o'clock. Park."

"Wait, what? You want me to go to the park tomorrow at four?"

"I don't want you to, I just think it would be a wise decisions. But I can't make you do anything you don't want to."

"In case you've forgotten... I'm grounded. For a week." I said.

Bonnie hopped off of my bed and headed for the door, "Oh yeah... funny how life works."

My eyes widened in understanding, "You knew I would have to go to the park tomorrow, but made sure I got grounded! Why do I have to go to the park? Am I meeting someone there? Come on Bonnie, you tricked me!"

She turned around and smiled at me, "Remember, you can't hate me! Trust me, you'll thank me for this one day."

And she disappeared out the door.

/-/-/-/

I absent mindedly played with my oatmeal. It turned out Nancy hated eggs- and chocolate cake- and had rearranged our whole menu to be more healthy. I hated oatmeal, but I was afraid to tell Darry that in front of Nancy. She had warned me, and I wasn't taking any risk. Soda was getting dressed in our room while Nancy was sweet talking Darry. It was so strange how Darry seemed to change around Nancy. I guess I finally understood what Bonnie meant by not telling Darry about her true personality. She made Darry happy and took away his stress from raising his two brothers alone. I would hate to ruin that for him. So what if Nancy gave me a dark look every once in awhile, I'd survive.

"Hey Ponyboy," Johnny said as he walked in with Dally behind him. I figured he had gotten a chance to talk to Dally before I had seen him.

"Hey Johnny, hey Dally. You guys here for breakfast?" I asked, pushing aside my oatmeal.

Dally grimaced, "Did that witch make it?"

Johnny frowned, "Nancy's not that bad Dally."

I was surprised to see that Dally didn't like Nancy. He liked my mom who was just as nice as Nancy, I had expected him to like Nancy too.

Dally snorted, "Not that bad? Ponyboy, you tell your brother to watch himself, he just brought in something worse than an army of Socs. You remember that."

Right on cue, Nancy came up next to us, "Dallas, I made oatmeal. Would you like me to serve you some?" she flashed Dally a smile so wide, you'd think she was in the running for Miss America.

Dally didn't even bother answering her and walked towards the fridge. His action sent Nancy a clear message that he'd much rather act like he didn't hear her than taste anything made by her. I knew Dally hadn't replied mainly because anything he had to say to her couldn't be good. Nancy wasn't discouraged though; she turned to Johnny and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Sweetie, I'll bring you a bowl. With those parents of yours, I bet you hardly get enough to eat."

That's when I decided then and there I'd hate Nancy forever.

We all knew Johnny didn't always have the most food at his place, but voicing it out loud? Nancy had gone too far. I also felt a little betrayed by Darry, why would he tell _her_ about something like this... Unless he didn't. Nancy could've easily spied on Johnny and figured it out. By the end of every week, Johnny had at least _one_ new bruise. Most likely more. It didn't take much to know about his parents.

I was still pretty mad about what she said and gave her a cold look, "He doesn't need you-" I started, but stopped abrubtly. Her warning echoed through my head like a siren, and I could tell by the look in her eyes, she wasn't playing around.

I looked back down at my bowl, my hands shaking in anger as Nancy spoke some more about how hungry Johnny must be. Johnny would never say it out loud, but I knew he hated how she was making him look pathetic and helpless. Nancy left, but only for a few seconds and returned with a bowl of oatmeal. She told him he needed to eat it to "get his strength back".

"Who does she think she is?" I asked Johnny when she was gone, "How can she speak to you that way?" I was beyond mad. I don't care what anyone said, Nancy was cruel and she knew it.

Johnny shrugged, "I guess she was trying to be nice, but maybe she doesn't know exactly what to say."

I stared at him, mouth agate like a lunatic. "'_Nice_'? Did you just say 'nice'? She was making you sound like some beggar at our doorstep!"

Johnny shrugged again, "Nancy didn't mean any harm. Besides, I don't really care that much, Pony. You don't have to worry about it."

Before I could protest anymore, Soda ran into the kitchen, buttoning his shirt. His hair was styled a little different, and it made him look a lot more mature. His shirt was wrinkle free and looked like something a Soc would wear, nothing like my brother. Overall, Soda looked like he took a lot of time to get ready and seemed even a little professional. It was funny to think that my brother who was so lively was dressed like he was about to go give a presentation to the president.

"Ponyboy, have you seen my shoes? The new ones?" Soda asked, looking around the kitchen in a haste.

New shoes? That was strange, we only ever got new shoes if our old ones didn't fit anymore, were too worn down, or when we couldn't fit into another gang members old pair. But something seemed strange with Soda, he never got dressed up for anything. Even for dates.

"I think I saw them by the front door, want me to go check?" Johnny asked. Soda threw him a grateful smile and I couldn't help but to stare in wonder. Once again, I was in complete awe about the fact that no one seemed to realize Johnny was supposed to be dead. It stunned me for a few seconds, but I quickly pulled myself together. I was afraid the more I thought about them being alive, the faster I was plummeting to insanity.

"Where you headin' Soda?" I asked, pushing the bowl away from me. It was disgusting and Nancy had ruined my appetite even more with what she had said to Johnny.

Soda fixed his collar and smiled proudly at me, "Today is Sandy's first doctors' appointment."

I frowned, recalling how he had mentioned Sandy that night he found on the porch... the same night my life seemed to become nothing but a dream. But I guess Dally and Johnny not dying might affect what happened between Soda and Sandy. I was glad they wouldn't have to break up, considering the first time Sandy had to leave because she had cheated and was preg-

A chill went down my spine. When Sandy had told Soda, it was technically a month ago, so at that time she had known she was pregnant. Which meant, Johnny and Dally dying had no effect over changing that. When they died, she was already pregnant, that meant having them alive would still make her...

"Soda..." I whispered, hoping it wasn't true, "why are you going to visit the doctor?"

Soda gave me a funny look, one I hadn't seen since Johnny and Dally died, "To check up on the baby, you know, measure her stomach to make sure it's growing right and other stuff."

I felt my heart drop as Soda said goodbye when Johnny appeared with his shoes. I sat there in a daze, feeling anger that Sandy had still stayed. Dally came by me and grumbled something about Nancy and her keeping no decent food in this house. I looked up at him with confused eyes; we weren't the best of friends, but at the moment, I had to ask someone.

"Dally, is Soda the... the father of Sandy's baby?"

Dally frowned at me, "Of course he is. Why else would he be going through all that trouble if he wasn't? Then again, your brother is the kind to take care of another man's kid."

Of course Soda would take care of someone else's child. He loved Sandy, and didn't care, but I had to make sure, "So you're positive he's the father?"

Once again Dally gave me a strange look, "Where have you been these past several weeks? Or are you still hung up on being an uncle?"

His tone had a little teasing manner at the end, but I looked away from his gaze and focused on a figure behind him. The person was leaning against the wall, smiling sheepishly. Although she was too far for me to hear her, it was obvious what she was saying

"Surprise?" Bonnie mouthed. But her expression said it all. She knew the moment Dally was gone, she wasn't getting out of this one.

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**Hope you enjoyed:) Sorry for any mistakes!**


	4. Romeo & Juliet of Tulsa

**Hello my lovelies! Thank you all for the reviews, please enjoy:) Sorry for any mistakes I missed!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Outsiders' sadly...**

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"_A father_!?" I exclaimed , as I paced around my bedroom. Bonnie was sitting on my bed, swinging her legs as she hummed softly to herself.

The moment Soda had left for Sandy's doctor appointment, I quickly abandoned the breakfast Nancy had made and went into my room. I had anticipated Bonnie would follow, and sure enough, Bonnie was sitting patiently on my bed when I got there. Since Johnny and Dally had died, anger was an emotion that had all but disappeared. But Bonnie had managed to bring it all back.

"He's only sixteen Bonnie! Why would you do this? _How_ could you do this?" I said, my tone turning more desperate with each word.

Bonnie smiled at me, "Is it my turn to speak yet?"

I frowned at her; how could she not realize the severity of this situation? My brother was about to become a _father._ I sighed and slumped down on the floor, leaning my head against the door, all of my anger slowly dying out. Bonnie hopped off the bed and walked in front of me, smiling down with her most friendly smile.

"I know you might be confused and angry-"

"Bonnie I'm beyond angry. Sodapop had nothing to do with our agreement. Why does he need to suffer-"

"You said it was my turn to speak." she said, giving me a disapproving smile, "As I was saying... Johnny and Dallas being alive affects every single person in this world. Not just you. Also, I mentioned before that I have no control over what happens-"

"But you knew, didn't you? You know everything, but yet, you won't help me..." I whispered.

Bonnie's smile fell and she grabbed some of her hair and chewed it anxiously. Her action caught my attention. Bonnie chewed her hair yesterday while explaining to me the Socs not changing and when Darry had yelled at me...

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" I said surprisingly calm.

Bonnie smiled at me, "I'm debating whether or not I should tell you. I thought you would figure it out."

"Figure what out? Bonnie please just tell me."

"Well just don't freak out, Nancy will hear." she warned, "But Sodapop isn't the father."

She said it so bluntly, I didn't react at first. She was smiling, but I could see worry in her eyes. I shook my head, "But Dally said... I _asked _him. He said..." I couldn't finish the sentence, so I just looked back down. Of course I knew he wasn't the father, but I thought it might've changed.

"Don't tell Ponyboy, Soda doesn't know. If you tell him, he'll be heartbroken again. You saw how happy he is... everyone is happy. Soda has Sandy again, Darry has Nancy, everyone's happy- everyone but you." she said in a soothing tone.

I didn't respond because I wasn't listening. I stopped after she said 'Soda doesn't know'.

"Ponyboy?" she said softly, "Are you okay?"

I still didn't answer,

Bonnie sighed, "Ponyboy, you promised you would never hate me."

I slowly brought my head up, "Bonnie, are you my friend or my enemy?"

Her glazed eyes widened, "Friend! I would never want to harm you intentionally- I promise you. You believe me... don't you?"

All I did was stare at her for a minute. She smiled weakly at me, but I didn't return it. I simply heaved myself up and muttered, "If I did, I would've not asked you." and left the room.

/-/-/-/

I didn't go to the park at four o'clock.

I wasn't sure if it was because I wanted to not listen to Bonnie for once or because I knew I was grounded. Darry wasn't home and Nancy stayed in her (Darry's) room for the majority of the day. She only left twice, the first time to tell me to clean the kitchen and the second time to make her some lemonade. I wasn't sure where the gang had gone, but I hoped desperately one of them would come, but no one did.

Soda came back around seven, which left me to eat dinner with Nancy. Dinner was composed of salad with tomatoes. I'm not a big fan of salad, but Nancy had on a dark glare that was practically daring me to voice my opinion. Nancy didn't speak with me as we ate, and as soon as she was done, went back to her room. That left me with the duty of washing the dishes and keeping an eye on the chicken that was cooking in the oven for Darry and Soda.

So by the time Soda came, everything was clean and the chicken was ready. Soda was happier than I had seen him in a while. He told me about the appointment and how the doctor had said Sandy was growing more rapidly than expected. But other than that, everything else was going really well. I tried my best to smile, but then, Soda said something that made me feel guilty.

"I'm saving up, Pone. I saw this house near an old creek, 'bout half an hour from here. It's perfect for Sandy and the baby." he said proudly.

_The baby,_ I never expected to hear those words from my brother until I was _at least _out of college.

"You want to move?" I whispered.

"Not now, but eventually. With Nancy here, the house won't have any room for a baby or Sandy. I want them to feel comfortable, and with so many people..."

"Nancy isn't staying here forever, just until her roof is fixed. Besides, who cares if Sandy's comfortable or not? Do you think she cares about your feelings!?" I snapped, my voice getting louder with each word. It was like all the anger I had stored up throughout the day had finally decided to spill out all at once. But how could Sandy do this to him? Lie to him? He'd go on through life raising a child who he thought was his.

Sodapop picked up on the anger in my voice and looked worriedly at me, "Ponyboy, what's the matter?"

Once again, his concern surprised me. After Dally and Johnny died and Sandy left, Soda changed and hardly ever became this concerned. It was weird seeing him back to normal, no better than normal. He was better off than I'd seen him since our parents died. I started feeling bad for getting so mad at an eleven year old when she didn't do anything bad. Sure I felt Soda needed to know the truth, but seeing him so happy... Maybe I should wait a little while before telling him and try to see if I could somehow convince Sandy to do it. She might come over one day and I could talk to her and she might tell him herself...

"Nothing, I'm just tired. I should get to sleep since there's school tomorrow." I said, standing up abruptly.

"You've been really tired lately, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's just that I've had a lot of test and homework..."I lied. I briefly remembered that report cards were coming out on Wednesday, and I was failing every class. Even if I tried retaking everything, I would still fail them because I hadn't been paying any attention. I had no idea how I'd get out of this one, I couldn't exactly tell Darry that I had failed all my classes for the past month just because I was upset.

"Well if there's something wrong, you know you can tell me, right?" Soda said.

I nodded, "I know, but nothing's wrong. You don't need to worry."

To avoid any more questioning, I escaped out of the kitchen and went into my room. I had a feeling Bonnie was going to be there, but when I switched the lights on, she wasn't. I sighed heavily, wondering if she was mad. I wouldn't blame her if she was, but she wasn't being fair. How could she expect me to be alright with my brother being lied to?

I fell on the bed and groaned. This weekend had been the longest weekend in my life. It still felt like a dream- no, more like a nightmare. The only good thing that had come out of this was Johnny and Dally being alive. That and the fact that Soda was back to his old self... I didn't know why, but I remembered wishing that Soda would be happy again and hoped that he would notice I wasn't doing good in school anymore. But now that he's actually worried about me, I keep pushing him away.

I groaned again, "What's wrong with me?"

* * *

"Hey kid, are you gon' walk to school all by yourself?" Two-Bit asked from his cars' window. I had only walked a block from our house when Two-Bit honked to get my attention. I hadn't seen him in a week and boy was I glad to see he hadn't grown a third arm since this whole thing started. He looked exactly the same as I had seen him last time, and that gave me hope not everyone had been affected.

I opened the passenger door and hopped in, "Thanks Two-Bit, you're actually going to school today?"

"You could say that." Two-Bit smirked, "There's a pep rally during second period. I wouldn't want to miss the chance to support our school... and of course the cheerleaders."

I sighed in relief; good old Two-Bit with his many blondes. At least he hadn't changed. Two-Bit continued on talking about Kathy and how she wanted this bracelet for her birthday. Two-Bit 'claimed' that he would work hard to get it, but we both knew he'd be acquiring it without money. By the time we got to school, students were starting to arrive, so we had plenty of time to walk around.

As we walked through the hallways, Two-Bit talked and I partially listened. I was more interested in making sure nothing had changed at school. Everyone looked the same and with the exception of the cheerleaders in their uniforms. I saw Cherry Valence and our eyes met. When I smiled at her, she gave me a confused look that reminded me we had never spoken because that night had never happened...

"You know that girl?" Two-Bit asked, catching our small exchange.

I shook my head, "No,"

"Then why'd you smile at her? Can it be... you've finally become interested in girls!?" Two-Bit gasped with false shock.

"Knock it off, I don't even know who she is." I lied, hoping he'd let it go.

Two-Bit sighed dramatically, "I can't believe it, Ponyboy's all grown up! I can't wait to tell Soda and Darry, how will they react?"

"Two-Bit, you sound like a mom who just found out her daughter is getting married."

Two-Bit smirked, "Thanks you very much, I've been practicing this moment for years."

I laughed and then the bell rang. The hallways became full of students hastily trying to get into their first period classes. I waved at Two-Bit as we went our separate ways and walked to my history class. I hated having history early in the mornings, mainly because I was never completely awake and didn't really pay any attention. But considering this last month I hadn't even _listened_ to anything the teacher had said, so I was lost. I gave up after ten of minutes of attempting to follow along with the lecture and doodled on a piece of paper.

During second period, there was an announcement for all students to go to the gym for the pep rally. I hadn't seen Johnny all day and wondered if I'd see him or Two-Bit in the hallways. I doubted seeing Dally, he hated pep rallies. I walked in the mass of students who were eagerly cheering as we walked to the gym. The closer I got to the gym, the louder the sounds got. I could hear the band and people screaming like there was no tomorrow. I was a few feet from the gym doors when I passed the janitor room. The door was ajar and the inside was dark, but I saw slight movement. I stopped in front of the door and peered inside as everyone kept walking into the gym.

"Hello?" I said, gaining the feeling I was being watched. I figured it was probably Bonnie watching me or a Soc pulling a prank on me, so I turned around. Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulders and yanked me into the janitor closet, shutting the door.

My eyes widened in fear as I struggled to break free from the persons grasp. I was afraid it was a Soc; jumping a greaser at school was uncommon, but not impossible. The person was covering my mouth with his hand so I bit down. But I soon realized it couldn't be a Soc because the persons arms were very thin and I broke free easily.

"Ow! You bit me! Sheesh, would you calm down?" the voice said. I was surprised to hear a _girl's_ voice, but it wasn't one I recognized. At first I thought it was Bonnie, but her voice was much higher pitched and sweeter.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to." I apologized, "But, uh, who are you?"

The lights came on and standing in front of me was a girl about my height with long, wavy, dark hair that was nearly black. She had sharp, brown eyes that glared darkly at me. I recognized her, I had seen her in the past. But it took me a few seconds to place a name with the face.

"_Angela Shepard_?" I said astonished. Angela was a little older than me, but since I had skipped a grade, academically, I was ahead of her. Still, I was shocked she even had approached me. It wasn't like we were enemies or anything, I had only spoken to her probably twice in my life. Those two times didn't even count as conversations anyways, I had only greeted her and asked her if Curly was home.

"What? You thought only a man would be able to take you down? Well you're in for a big surprise Curtis..." she said, laughing bitterly.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Um, Angela? I don't want to be rude... but can I leave?"

She stopped laughing, "Look at you, you think you're so great, huh? Because you 'skipped' a grade you can walk around and act like you run everything, but not today! You messed with the wrong girl, if you think you can play me like that, you're in for something else-"

"Angela," I said confused, "what are you talking about?"

She gave me an incredulous look, "Wow, you're such an amazing actor, I almost believe that you're completely clueless."

I sighed, "Okay, well then I should get going. It was nice talking to you Angela."

I was so confused, I didn't even know what was happening. I figured leaving now would be my best option since Angela was acting so weird. I wasn't around her enough to know if this was how she always acted, but I didn't want to stick around and find out. If Tim Shepard was dangerous, then I could only imagine what Angela was capable of. I started heading towards the door when Angela caught my arm and pulled me back so hard, her nails dug into my skin.

"You're just going to leave!?" she exclaimed, I was surprised to see her eyes welling with tears.

"I.. uh... Angela, I'm sorry, but I don't know what you want from me." I said, hoping that might calm her down.

She opened her mouth to speak but stopped. She just looked down, her fingers still clinging to my flesh. I wanted to pull away, but I decided against it. Angela didn't say anything and just stood there, her hair covering her face. I felt awkward for being stuck in an enclosed room with her and hoped a teacher found us and made us go to the pep rally. Finally, Angela lifted her head and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"What's wrong? Did I say something..." I said, panicking. I had never seen a girl cry before except for Evie when Steve got hauled in. And even then, I didn't know what to do. Was it because of me? I don't think I said anything that would hurt her feelings... But then again, girls are more sensitive, so she might've taken something I said harder than I expected.

"Did you really forget?" she whispered, "After you promised me you wouldn't..."

I didn't know how to answer this. Forget what? I decided to play it cool and said, "No, I didn't forget."

She seemed to like this answer and stopped crying, "Then why? If you didn't forget, you had to have a good reason."

I tried to cover up my confused expression, "I just... um, didn't think it was that important?"

Since she liked my other answer, I hoped what I said made sense, because I had no clue what we were talking about. Maybe I had given her a good answer and she would let me go.

I was wrong.

Angela gasped and whispered, "_Not important_? Not important? Not important! I... you... Go to hell. Just drop dead!" with each word she got louder until she was screaming by the end. Finally she removed her nails from my arm and shoved me against the wall. She wasn't very strong so I only stumbled a bit.

"_I hate you_." Angela said coldly before slamming the door shut.

I stood in the janitor's closet, dumbfounded. What had just _happened_? Was I the only one missing something here? How could she hate me? I only spoke to her twice in the past and both times had been brief and casual! Girls are just weird. I sometimes feel like I can understand them, but at times like these, I felt like they were a whole other species.

"Okay, note to self: work on Ponyboy with his communication skills." a voice said behind me.

I jumped at the voice and turned around, "Bonnie? How long have you been sitting there? Don't you have school?"

Bonnie jumped off one of the boxes and smiled at me, "The whole time and I do have school. Ponyboy, you're not good with girls, are you?"

I shook my head, "I don't even know what that was all about. She was screaming at me like I had done something awful to her."

Bonnie started chewing her hair, and I sighed, knowing she was about to tell me something bad. But I was relieved to have Bonnie back; without her around, things were quiet (excluding what just happened). I can't say I necessarily missed her, but sometimes, she was nice to have around. Maybe I was getting used to her following me around.

"What is it now, Bonnie?" I sighed, preparing myself for what she was about to say.

Bonnie stopped chewing her hair, "Well you can't say I didn't warn you, because I did, yesterday. Remember? Four o'clock? Park?"

I blinked at her, "How does that have anything to do with Angela?"

Bonnie laughed, "Boys are so oblivious! Think about what she said really carefully. Why would _any_ girl react that way to a boy? Most of all your friends and brothers have dated in the past, you know how their girlfriends react..."

My eyes widened in understanding, "Bonnie, are you trying to tell me that Angela... is my _girlfriend?_"

She clapped her hands, "You figured it out! And I wouldn't really say 'is my girlfriend', considering what just happened, it's more of a 'was my girlfriend'."

I shook my head and started laughing, "Angela and me? Dating? No offense to her, but I don't think we have anything in common..."

"That's where you're wrong Ponyboy. You two actually have a lot in common. You just judge her on her reputation, but once you got to know her, you realized she's not that different from you."

I frowned at her, "Bonnie, if Tim doesn't kill me, I'm sure Darry and Soda will. They would _never_ let me date Angela. Well maybe Soda might, but Darry wouldn't. Anyways, even if they did let me, how could _I_ date her!? How did we even start dating in the first place?"

Bonnie spun around me like she was dancing, "Oh I love this story! You know the day when Johnny stabbed the Soc? Well it never happened, so you went home on time and Johnny slept at the vacant lot. The next morning, you went to go find him, and on your way there, you passed the park. Guess who was there at the place where you were almost drowned? Go on, guess!"

"Angela?" I said, playing along.

She jumped up and down in excitement, "Yes! Here comes the best part! She was crying and you were about to just walk by her without asking her if she was okay, but you didn't! You sat next to her and tried to find out what was wrong, you were such a gentleman, Ponyboy. After that, she started liking you because you were the only man to ever worry about her. After cornering- uh, I mean seeing you at school one day, she asked you out. You didn't want to hurt her feelings and said one date wouldn't do any harm, and you two have dated ever since then!"

"I have a feeling you've been waiting to say this for a while." I said bluntly.

Bonnie nodded, "But wait! Here comes the best part! You two are like the Romeo and Juliet of Tulsa because you two were dating secretly since you think your families won't approve! Isn't it romantic?"

"You mean my brothers don't know? No wonder I'm still alive." I muttered, "But I still don't understand why she's so mad at me."

"Oh, I almost forgot! Yesterday was your one month anniversary. You two were meeting up at the place you first met. But _somebody_ didn't listen to me. Not only that, but you had to also tell her that you didn't think the anniversary was 'important'."

"But I didn't know..." I groaned, wanting to hit myself, "I sounded like a jerk." I may not want to date Angela, but in her mind, I did. The least I needed to do was apologize and come up with a good excuse to break up without upsetting her again.

"Don't worry, she'll forgive you. All you have to do is go and apologize to her by tomorrow and ask to get back together." Bonnie said.

"Okay, I get apologizing to her, but I can't date her Bonnie. Wouldn't it be wrong to date someone I didn't even like?"

"Yes and no. A lot of people date someone, even though they don't like the person just to get to know them and see if it will work out. Besides, if you don't date her again, in about two days, Tim is going to beat the living tar out of you Ponyboy."

"What!?" I exclaimed, "Why? What did I do?"

"You broke his sisters' heart... She may be a little rough around the edges Ponyboy, but that day you spoke to her at the park changed her. She _really_ likes you and right now, she's heartbroken. Just give her a chance, I promise you, you'll find her interesting." Bonnie pleaded.

I sighed, "Alright, I'll ask... Angela _Shepard_ out- again, I guess. But if Darry and Soda kill me, it's on you."

Bonnie laughed, "You won't regret it, I promise!"

She seemed really excited about it and started planning our 'make-up anniversary'. I still felt guilty about getting mad at Bonnie over the Soda thing, but she didn't seem to mind. Maybe I needed to trust her on these things, because she seemed to know what she was doing. No matter how much I might get frustrated by her, she only wanted to help- I hope.

"Bonnie?" I said, "I'm really sorry for getting mad at you yesterday. I didn't mean it, just like I promised, I would never hate you."

Bonnie smiled, "It's okay! Trust me, your reaction was actually very calm. I'd anticipated you to throw a lamp at me or something."

"Why would I throw a lamp at you?"

She shook her head, "It was just an example. But you need to go to the gym, in about three minutes a janitor will come in here to get a mop and catch you. You'll then get after school detention for a week and Darry will yell at you so much, you'll consider running away again. You welcome!" she said, walking out of the door before I could ask her how she knew.

I shook my head in confusion; if this was dream... I wasn't sure anymore if I wanted to wake up or keep dreaming

/-/-/-/

The rest of the school day went as normally as school could get. The pep rally wasn't any different from all the others, but Two-Bit seemed to be enjoying himself when the cheerleaders came out. Afterwards, I had P.E. with Steve, one of my only classes I could have with students of any grade. I had forgotten that I also had P.E. with Johnny and Dally mainly because they hardly came to the class in the first place. So when I saw Johnny, I was surprised. Dally wasn't in class as predicted, so it was just the three of us. Our class wasn't too big, but that's because the girls had health during this time. I was glad because we ran a lot, which I missed. It had been so long and all that extra energy I had stored away finally burst out. The track coach noticed and approached me at the end of class. He said that if I kept it up, he'd put me back on the team.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted both mentally and physically. Darry didn't work today, so he got me started on my homework right away. Thankfully, I only had to read from the textbook and answer a few questions. Johnny worked on his homework too, while Two-Bit tried to distract us. By the time I had done all my homework and showered, Soda, Steve, and Dally had arrived too. Sure enough, Nancy threw on her apron and put on a show of being the best housewife to ever step foot on earth.

She cooked spaghetti with meatballs and made lemonade for us. She insisted that we make sure we wash our hands and prayed before we ate. I saw Dally roll his eyes and mutter "If I wanted to pray, I would've gone to church."

Usually dinners were loud and messy, but with Nancy present, she made sure none of us spoke too loudly and we each took turns talking about our day. Even my mom never did this, she said she liked the energy we brought to the table. Apparently Nancy didn't. So we went around the table as Nancy interrogated each one of us about our day. Dally didn't even bother answering her and pretended he didn't hear.

"How about you, Ponyboy? Did you have a good day?" Nancy said sweetly. Oh _please_, last night at dinner, she almost murdered me with her glare.

"Fine," I answered bluntly. I knew she wouldn't accept that as an answer.

"Fine? Did you learn anything new? There was a pep rally today, wasn't there? I was a cheerleader in high school and loved pep rallies."

Of course she was a cheerleader. She's also an incredible actress, liar, glare-giver, and 'threatner'.

"While we're on the subject of cheerleading..." Two-Bit started, "Soda, Darry, the worst thing happened to Ponyboy today!".

I swear I wanted to crawl in a hole.

"Something happened? What is it?" Soda asked, giving me a worried look. Everyone was looking at me now, even Dally.

"N-nothing happened." I stuttered, picking at a meatball.

"Two-Bit? What happened?" Darry asked sternly. He wasn't wasting any time interrogating me like Nancy would've.

Two-Bit cleared his throat and gave us all an expression full of grief, "A Soc girl stole our beloved Ponyboys' heart away!"

Everyone was silent for a second and I just wanted to die. Why did Two-Bit have to bring this up? I felt everyone staring at me and my cheeks heated up under my skin. If only Bonnie could come and rescue me now.

Steve was first to speak, "A Soc? Glory kid, you sure know how to pick 'em."

"Who is she anyways?" Dally asked.

Two-Bit smiled, "Some cheerleader. Red head. If only she was a blonde..."

"Are you two friends? What's her name?" Nancy said eagerly, "Come on Ponyboy tell us about her?"

I shrugged, "There's nothing to tell, I don't even know her name. We've... never spoken before."

Silence again.

"Well maybe you should talk to her, isn't there a dance this month?" Soda suggested.

"Soda, I don't like her."

"Sure he doesn't," Two-Bit said, "I saw you two smiling at each other, she gave you the 'eye'."

"I don't like Cherry!" I insisted as everyone laughed. Dally snickered and I reddened, feeling like a little kid.

"I knew it! She does have a name!" Two-Bit exclaimed, "So you two have spoken... I bet they talk about homework."

Everyone laughed harder and I just ducked my head as Darry gave me an amused look. Great, now everyone thinks I like a Soc.

"Ponyboy, what happened to your arm?" Johnny asked, trying to change the subject. I had completely forgotten that Angela had left marks on my arm from grabbing me. My arm was all red and a little bruised from her grip.

"I just hit something at school, no big deal." I shrugged.

"Or maybe Cherry hit you with her pom-poms!" Two-Bit continued laughing. Dally and Steve rolled their eyes as Johnny gave me a sympathetic smile that made me smile too. Right now, our family was back together and everything seemed to go back to the way things were. I stopped trying to hide my head in embarrassment and started laughing with them. It didn't matter if they thought I liked her or not, I was just glad that everything was starting to go back to normal.

"Okay, who wants fruit salad for desert?" Nancy said, clapping her hands.

"How is salad desert?" Dally said.

We all laughed at his comment while Nancy struggled to keep her sweet demeanor. Yeah, this weekend had been rough, but beginning tomorrow, I would start fresh. Starting with apologizing to Angela and bringing my grades back up. Then I would get back on the track team and see if I could find away to get Sandy to tell the truth. Finally I would try to get Angela to break up with _me_ instead. That way, no one would be hurt. My plan sounded easy, a little too easy. But there was nothing that could interfere with it now. For once since the last month, I was happy.

/-/-/-/

I leaned against the kitchen doorway, staring at them as they ate and laughed. At least Ponyboy was happy; it wouldn't last for long, he ought to enjoy it. But he had promised me he wouldn't hate me, so I knew we'd still be friends.

I took some of my hair and chewed it nervously, "Please enjoy it Ponyboy..." I whispered, "Your time, is limited."

I dropped my hair from my mouth and slowly back out of the doorway, none of them noticing I had ever been watching.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed:) Sorry for any mistakes!**


	5. Mood Swings

**Hello my lovelies! I'm back from my one month break! I had final exam all throughout May and part of April, so I decided to focus solely on school for a bit. But it's summer and I'm back and ready to write! Enjoy and I'm sorry for any errors:)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Outsiders' sadly...**

* * *

Girls were never one of my priorities.

I'd see them in school, outside, even sometimes in my house. But I was never really interested in them and never had a girlfriend. Sodapop said I'd grow out of it, but with the whole Windrixville incident, girls were pushed even further back in my mind.

I stared at Angela from my locker and thought about what I could say. Apologizing would be easy; I only had to explain to her that I hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. What I didn't know how to do was ask her out. She was Tim Shepards _sister_, dating her was practically a death sentence. But even if I did ask her out, there was no guarantee she'd take me back. Not that I would mind. I sighed and decided to stop stalling; what's the worst that could happen?

"Hey Angela," I greeted, smiling weakly.

Angela was chewing hard on her gum while twisting her finger around her crow black hair. The moment she heard my voice, her face turned stormy and I began having second thoughts.

"The hell you want?" she said coldly, as she glared at me, her eyes piercing through my soul. I gulped, wondering if I should just leave while I was still living.

"Uh, I just came to... _apologize_." God, I can't believe I just said that, "I'm really sorry about what I said yesterday. I had a rough weekend and took it out on you, so I'm sorry."

I felt like I had just read a script, but hopefully I sounded apologetic. Angela, however, didn't look impressed.

"Seriously? I have a rough _life_ Ponyboy, but do you see me getting all pissed off at you? No."

I struggle not to grimace at her language. I had apologized, why was she still mad? Maybe it was a girl thing. But I couldn't give up, "You're right, Angela. I'm really sorry and won't do it again."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, look I have to get to class."

I highly doubted she was going to class, but didn't dare mention it. Instead, I cleared my throat and tried to think of something girls would like to hear, "I understand if you want us to break up but..."

She looked up at me impatiently, "But what?"

I sighed, _glory I was going to regret this,_ "But I was wondering if you'd give me a second chance. To make things right because... you mean_ a lot_ to me."

Why did it have to be Angela?

Angela looked surprised and her glare fell. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment, under her watchful eyes. She was the first girl I had ever asked out and even though I didn't like her, I still felt awkward.

"You... want to get back together?" she said, "Curtis, what game are you playin'? I'm not some girl you can ditch when you want to and come back when you're bored."

I shook my head, "I'm not playing a game, Angela. I really..." I hesitated, "_like _you."

Glory, I can't believe I just said that.

Angela blinked and looked down, "Well how do I know you're not just gonna leave me again?"

Man would I do anything to have some advice from Soda right now. How could I prove to a girl that I wasn't going to break up with her, when I unintentionally did once? I didn't know what I could say, but if I didn't say anything at all, it would just make things worse. I finally sighed, and figured to just go with the truth.

"Angela, I can't convince you that I won't break up with you, I just can't. I don't know how to. But I'm willing to try again if you want."

She looked up at me with all hostility gone and I knew what I had said probably wasn't what she wanted to hear. But I tried my best and hopefully it might spare me a beating from Tim. Angela opened her mouth to say something, but I stopped her before she could.

"I have to get to class, I'll see you around." I said, desperate to leave this awkward situation. Angela didn't answer and I walked away to my first period class.

/-/-/-/

The day went on identical to the previous one, only this time, I actually tried paying attention in class. With report cards coming out tomorrow, we started brand new units in all of my classes. I was already behind, but if I studied hard every night, maybe I could catch up. I spoke to my teachers, and they said they were willing to schedule after school tutoring too if I wanted.

P.E. went really well because we did relay races, and I won three out of five races. The coach was so impressed, he told me to stop by his office Friday after school. Johnny asked me why the coach wanted to talk with me, I told him I wasn't sure.

At the end of the day, I went to my locker to get anything I'd need for homework. But when I opened it, a pink piece of paper fell out. It was neatly folded and smelled like flowers. I unfolded it and saw only two words scrawled messily on it.

_Last chance_.

/-/-/-/

"I told you she liked you, didn't I Pony? I did, I remember. But you read the note- "last chance". Don't mess it up Ponyboy! You have to sweep her off her feet and shower her with compliments, even when she's hideous! You need to comfort her when she cries and tell her, " je t'aime mon amour " when you two are- Are you even listening to me?" Bonnie said, bouncing on my bed.

I looked up from my textbook, "Wait, you were speaking?"

"Ponyboy! You're a horrible gentleman!" she gasped.

"I'm just kidding, Bonnie, I was listening." I said smiling at her.

Bonnie stared at me for a second and said, "You're much happier than you were these past few days."

I rolled on my back, "I guess I am. But how can I be sad when everything's going so well?"

Bonnie looked surprised, "Really? What about Nagging Nancy? And Sodapop becoming a father? Oh, and don't forget about dating Tim Shepard's sister."

I shrugged, sitting up on the bed, "Like you said Bonnie, everyone's happy. Nancy isn't that bad if you know how to avoid her and I'll make sure Sandy tells Soda... I just need to figure out how. But until then, Soda should enjoy being back with Sandy. Besides, dating Angela won't kill me, it'll only be until I can get _her_ to break up with _me_. See? Everything's going great."

I had to admit, when I woke up this morning, I felt a lot happier than I had in a while. Maybe having a positive outlook on things would make everything a little easier. After I handled all these small mishaps, I could go back to my life like before. With everything that was going on recently, I didn't even get a chance to really hang out with Johnny and Dally. I hadn't appreciated their friendship before, but now that was going to change.

"Well I'm glad you're finally enjoying yourself. After everything that's happened, you deserve a break." Bonnie smiled, "But I have to go now. Nancy will be coming in about a minute."

I groaned, shutting my textbook, "Do you really have to? Nancy's only going to complain about something that I didn't do right. You seem to be able to know when people are coming, can't you make them "not come"."

Bonnie laughed, standing up, "I wish, but it doesn't quite work- Ah!" she gasped, falling on the floor.

I quickly pushed my books away and stood up to help her, "Bonnie, are you okay?"

She slowly raised her head, looking paler than before. Her glazed eyes were lifeless, "I... I don't know. Something's not right." she whispered, her voice full of fear.

"If you want, I could call your parents or if you're really hurt, Nancy could take you to the hospital." I said, slowly reaching out to help her. I was scared to accidently hurt her even more, so I went for her shoulders. They seemed like a safe place to touch, but I guess I was wrong because the moment I touched her, I felt a shock go between us. Bonnie abruptly flinched away, her face brightening up.

"It's okay, I'm all better now!" she said cheerfully. She looked like herself again, but I couldn't be entirely sure.

I was also surprised by her sudden mood change. She had gone from fearful to happy in seconds. But then again, Bonnie was a weird person, so should I be worried?

"Are you sure? You don't need me to call your parents or anything?"

"No, no it's fine. Sorry if I worried you, I have to go now." Bonnie said, smiling nervously as she backed out of the door. I wanted to ask her what had just happened, but she quickly left before I could.

I was so confused, I just stood in the center of my room for a few seconds, before my solitude was disrupted.

"What are you doing?" Nancy said, crossing her arms as she entered.

I suppressed a groan; not this again, "Studying."

Nancy looked at my bed and snorted, "With your books closed? I don't think so. If you're not doing anything useful, go to the grocery store and buy some food."

"But I need to study and I'm grounded, can't you-"

"No, I can't. I have to watch you and your bratty friends twenty four-seven. Not to mention, clean _your_ house and cook during the day- Do you _think_ I have time to buy food for an ungrateful child?" she snapped.

I considered telling her that she didn't do any of those things, but remembered I had to stay in her good graces for now.

"Fine," I mumbled, "what do I need to buy?"

"Don't you live here? Obviously food so you don't starve." she said, stuffing money in my hand, "And Darry calls you the brains of the family. "

The moment she was gone, so was my good mood. Nancy had managed to ruin my day in a matter of seconds, how could Darry be blinded by her innocent girl act? But it wouldn't be long before she was exposed for the liar she really was.

I quickly changed my shirt and put on my sneakers to go to the grocery store. I hated shopping and wished a member of the gang could come along. When the gang came, it was always more fun. But in all honesty, I much rather stay home and take advantage of the study time I desperately needed. Plus, I was disobeying Darry's orders; but if I got in trouble, it was her fault.

"Hey Pony," Johnny said, entering our home as I put on my shoes, "where you goin'?"

I was starting to get used to Johnny being alive, so I wasn't as startled as the previous times, "Hey Johnny, I'm going to the grocery store... Nancy's making me." I explained, trying to hide my annoyance.

Johnny wasn't fooled, "Do you want me to come with you?"

I considered his suggestion; it was about six o'clock and I hated grocery shopping. I also didn't want to drag Johnny with me to go shopping. But this was my second chance of having my best friend back. I now understood how easily things you take for granted can disappear.

"Sure, but I have to get back home before Darry because I'm supposed to be grounded." I answered.

Johnny raised an eyebrow, "Grounded? For what?"

I stood up from the ground and shook my head, "Let's just say Nancy and I don't see eye to eye."

/-/-/-/

We went to the local grocery store, walking there in fifteen minutes. Since it was Tuesday, not many people were there so it made shopping easier. Johnny and I walked around the store twice, pushing a cart while staring at the aisles.

"Any idea what Nancy wants you to buy?" Johnny asked.

"Nope," I said clueless, "just 'food'. She wasn't very specific."

We were now at the dairy section, staring at milk , eggs, yogurt, and other refrigerated products. From what I could tell, Nancy was an extremely healthy person. Her daily meal consisted of only oatmeal, lemonade, salad, and water. I wasn't even positive if that was a healthy to eat every day. Who could even live on that? Based on what she ate, she probably would want me to only buy healthy food. But then again... she did say buy 'food' so we won't 'starve'.

"We'll need milk and eggs," I said as I picked up two dozen eggs.

"Doesn't Nancy hate eggs?" Johnny asked.

I shrugged, "She did say to buy 'food'."

Johnny gave me an amused look, but didn't say anything and just grabbed a gallon of milk.

Johnny and I continued around the grocery store, picking up food whenever we saw something good. Meanwhile, Johnny explained something about what happened after school. I wasn't really paying attention until I heard Dallys' name mentioned.

"Wait, what happened?" I asked as we were checking out.

"Dally was out with Sylvia when two Socs came up to him." Johnny explained

"Why? What did Dally do?" So I'm guessing he's back together with Sylvia now.

"Not Dally, " Johnny said, "Sylvia. I don't know the whole story, but according to what I heard Dally say, Sylvia and some of her friends cornered a Soc girl and threatened her."

I stared wide eyed at Johnny, "Threatened a girl? Now I know Sylvia can sometimes be... difficult, but threatening a random girl? Does Dally believe that?"

Johnny shrugged, "I don't know, but the Socs do. If Sylvia really did do it though, I don't see why they're blaming Dal'."

"I don't think the girls would threaten some random girl. What motive would they have? Just because she's a Soc?" I said.

Johnny nodded, "That's what I want to know."

I slowly picked up the grocery bags, completely confused. None of this made any sense, and for it to happen so randomly made me suspicious. What if this ruined my second chance by causing another rumble with the Socs? I sighed heavily and pushed my thoughts aside. All I had to do was keep my positive outlook on things, nothing serious could really happen from a little girl drama.

Right?

/-/-/-/

"What's this?" Nancy snarled, storming into the living room.

I had been reading my history book, trying to review what happened before the Renaissance when Nancy had enter holding a box.

I gave her an incredulous look, "Cake mix. To make cakes." I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world (which it was).

"I know what cake mix is!" she snapped, "What I don't know is why you bought all that _garbage_!"

Now I was mad, "You said to buy 'food' and that's exactly what I did."

Nancy gave me an unamused laugh, "Jesus Christ Ponyboy, do I really need to treat you like a three year old? Do I still need to walk you to school or tell you what to buy? Do you want mommy to tuck you in at night? Well guess what Ponyboy? I'm not your mother, I'm not your friend, and if you want to keep smart mouthing me, go right ahead. But let me tell you something: you are messing with fire. Once you get burned, don't say I didn't warn you."

I stared at her, rendered speechless as she walked away. My mind was blank in disbelief, and I was shaking in either anger or fear. Nancy wasn't this bad the first day, but now... I sighed heavily and shut my textbook. It had been a long day, and I wanted nothing more but to climb into bed and go to sleep.

/-/-/-/

Waking up the next morning was surprisingly strange. I was happy and peaceful, my anger from yesterday had completely dissolved. Even the fact that report cards were coming out today didn't ruin my mood. Once again, my positive outlook was back.

I went to the bathroom to shower, when I remembered I hadn't seen Bonnie since yesterday afternoon. I wonder if she was alright? What if she was really hurt, and needed help? But knowing  
Bonnie, I'd probably see her before the end of the school day.

I showered and got dresses hastily, trying to avoid any chance of seeing Nancy. I had to be extra quiet though, since Soda was still asleep. Soda was always sleeping late now because he worked longer to save money for the... _baby._ I felt a little bad for not telling him the truth about Sandy. He didn't deserve to work until exhaustion for a baby that wasn't even his. But how could I tell him? When? Would he even believe me? How could I explain how I knew in the first place? I shook my head in frustration; I'd figure this out _after_ I handled Angela.

I went into the empty kitchen and chugged some milk from the carton. I didn't bother to use a cup because I didn't want to waste time and risk an unpleasant encounter with Nancy. I had gotten up earlier too, just so I could avoid her and walk to school.

As I left the kitchen, I hear the front door open. At first, I thought it might be Johnny, or maybe even Dally who I hadn't seen in a while. But when I looked, I noticed the person wasn't a member of the gang, but a girl with golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Ponyboy," Sandy greeted, "how are you? Is Soda awake?"

Her voice was sweet and gentle and it was accompanied with a kind smile. If I didn't know any better, I would've smiled back. But she was the one lying to my brother.

"No, he's not. But I'm fine." I said stiffly.

She looked sympathetic and had a sad smile, "Well he deserves it. He works so hard to provide for the baby." she stopped to rub her still flat stomach, "He'll be such a great father."

I gave her a placid look, "Yeah, he does work hard... you know, I'm sure he'll love the baby."

Sandy gave me a funny look, "Of course he will! Why wouldn't he?"

I shrugged, "I was just saying... He care so much for people, he'd love anyones child, even if it wasn't _his_."

I was hoping this was a discreet way to get my message across. Telling her I knew was dangerous and I couldn't risk having a negative outcome. Sandy's smile fell, and her face got rigid, "Yes... I guess he would."

I picked up my backpack and headed out the door, but not before saying, "Even if the baby wasn't really his, he'd still raise it as his own. But that's not the case here, right?"

Sandy never responded.

/-/-/-/

I watched him walk out the door, leaving Sandy with a fearful expression. The moment the door shut, Sandy sank to the floor and started sobbing. Ponyboy had really shaken her up.

But I had seen enough.

"Freeze." I said, hopping off of the table I was perched on.

Abruptly, everything in the world froze; Sandy stopped sobbing, soft snores were no longer heard, and the world outside the house had paused. I slowly walked away from frozen Sandy and went into the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

I opened Darry's room, where I found a frozen Nancy tying her hair in a braid. I went to her jewelry box and searched around the minimal amount of accessories it held until I found what I was looking for. I held up the small silver bracelet that looked ordinary and plain to most people, but I knew it meant so much more to Nancy.

With the bracelet in hand, I skipped to Ponyboy and Soda's room and opened the door, not bothering to be quiet. Soda was frozen in his sleeping state as I sat on the bed, and carefully lifted Ponyboys' pillow. I placed the bracelet in the pillow case, and put it back on the bed.

Pleased with my work I skipped back to Nancy's room and leaned closely to her ear,

"Nancy... Nancy can you hear me?" I whispered softly, "Ponyboy did it again. He's trying to make you seem bad in front of Darry. Guess what he did this time? He stole something from you. But not just _something_. Your _bracelet_." I paused to let it sink in, "I know how upset you might be right now, but I can help you. I know where it is. Ponyboy put it in his pillowcase and he's planning on selling it."

I stopped again, knowing I wouldn't get a reaction from her while she was still frozen, but I knew deep inside, she was furious. But this is what I needed.

"Now that I told you where it is Nancy, you have to do something for me." I paused again, feeling her anticipation in her emotions, "I want you to turn Darry against Ponyboy. Do anything you can to make Darry angry at him, alright?"

I took a deep breath and backed away, "Unfreeze."

The world came back to life again, and Nancy continued to braid where she had stopped midway. Suddenly she gasped, stood up and searched her jewelry box. After not finding what she was looking for, Nancy started pacing in fear across the room.

Then she stopped.

"I bet that kid took it as revenge," she snarled, "I know he did! I'll go search his room right now."

I smiled wickedly at how well things had turned out. But I was losing precious time, and this was the fastest way to speed things up. But I wasn't done. I had to go visit one more person before my plan could officially start. And it would work because it was Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

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**Hope you enjoyed:) Sorry for any mistakes!**


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